But since he had nothing to pay, his lord commanded that he be sold, along with his wife, his children, and all that he had, and that payment be made.
Jesus continues the description of a person’s helpless condition before God. The servant had no possibility of repaying his enormous debt. Therefore, the king, as a just judge, follows the common legal procedure of that time and commands that the man be sold in full, together with his family and his property. In that way it would be possible to obtain at least partial compensation for the debt. This shows that the consequence of the sin we commit not only harms us, but also harms the people around us—our family and our community. Sin is always paid for at a higher cost than a person thinks, and its true payment is impossible by humane means. This passage emphasizes how severe the repayment demanded by truth is, when the mercy of forgiveness had not yet been opened.